Haze
by Sutaahiiraa
Summary: For the drabble challenge on tumblr. A gap filler for between episodes 189 and 190: after Tin Nyanko's attack, Seiya can't recall what happened to him. All he knows is that it hurts - a lot.


Pain. White hot, excruciatingly unspeakable pain that was growing stronger and stronger in waves, increasing in intensity with every moment that passed.

It was seemingly impossible for Seiya to open his eyes. It felt as though there was something heavy on top of them blocking his from seeing. He wanted to lift his arms, or even just move them, but his muscles ached and even his pinky finger seemed as though it weighed more than he did. He felt as though he was stuck underwater and despite his attempts, he couldn't bring himself to swim back up to the surface.

He was unexpectedly hit with a hundred things at once. Sounds, smells, and faint lights noticeable through his closed eyelids. He suddenly could hear crickets chirping and the low hum of the air conditioner. The smell of the lavender candles he loved came out of nowhere, invading his senses. And then there it was - the unimaginable overload of pain coming from his head, his temple, and the right side of his face.

Inhaling deeply, Seiya put all of his focus and attention into opening his eyes, and the moment he did he regretted it. It was dark and blurry; the room he was in was only being lit up just slightly by the moonlight cascading in through the window. He couldn't understand - where was he? He was confused, in a haze, unable to comprehend how he went from running after Sailor Moon in the street to being in a dark room. What had happened?

Seiya felt his heartbeat racing; he couldn't remember. All he could remember was stepping out of the radio studio before Yaten and Taiki did, needing some time to be by himself and think things through. All the stress of being unable to find their princess, of Galaxia's threat looming before them once more, and their current drama with the soldiers of the solar system...all of that kept spinning in circles that didn't have a finish line and it was exhausting his. On top of all of that, there was Sailor Moon.

Was it love? Was it the desire for their princess that made his feel the way he did about his? What was it that he felt, and why did he feel it? Why couldn't things just work out? Why couldn't they just talk to each other?

Seiya could recall having all of that moving through his mind like an out of control car, and that's when he saw her - that stupid girl, Tin Nyanko, a few feet away from Sailor Moon and his friends with a golden bazooka in his hands aimed right at them - no, aimed right at Sailor Moon. There was no time to say anything and no time for warnings, only time to act.

Then everything went black.

He wanted to call out, to see if anyone would answer his and fill in the missing puzzle pieces he so desperately needed, but he didn't think he had the strength to raise his voice, or even whisper. All of this uncertainty was making his head hurt even more, and Seiya swore the dull throbbing on the right side of his head was going in time to that beat he played on the drums a few nights prior. Maybe someone was playing the drums with his skull and mistaking his brain for the cymbals.

As if he were sinking deeper underwater, that cloud of confusion and pain Seiya found himself in was beginning to make his want to close his eyes once more and let unconsciousness reclaim his. What else could he do? Who knew where he was; for all he knew, he wasn't fast enough to save Sailor Moon and they were all in the enemy's lair.

Or maybe he was dead.

Yet no, no...he was clearly lying on a bed; it was soft and familiar, the one source of comfort he has at that moment. That smell of lavender candles was unmistakably hiss...he had to be in his room with the window at least half open if he could hear crickets and see the faint moonlight illuminating the room.

And just as quickly as he had put one corner of the puzzle together, he was just as quickly losing the rest of it. Seiya could swear he heard Yaten and Taiki's voices nearby, but he couldn't cry out to them. He wanted to move, sit up, stand up, _anything_, but his body was failing his. The only thing it let his do was lie there in his haze with just the ability to endure the rush of pain still pulsing through his veins.

Maybe it was five minutes, maybe it was an hour, Seiya didn't know, but he couldn't handle being awake anymore. It wasn't working. All he could do as he let the darkness take his over again was hope with everything in his that Sailor Moon was all right. That he had saved her.

Because without Sailor Moon...what else did he have?


End file.
